Pregnant NHS staff - 28 weeks- Covid

[Bumble1993]

Hi - I’ve just seen the updated advice (21st June) for pregnant women past the 28 week mark and am due my 28 week risk assessment tomorrow.
It’s as clear as mud to me.
I work clinically as a sexual health nurse.
I know fellow midwife colleagues that have been suspended on full pay for their own safety as they cannot work non-patient facing/clinically past the 28 week mark (I am in the same boat).
Does anyone here have any occy health knowledge or advice about if I should be asked to continue working or not? Anyone been signed off because of Covid?
I’m very confused.
Thanks for the advice!

Our trust guidance says that every woman must be offered the chance to work in a non-patient facing role after 28 weeks. I think that’s based on the RCOG guidance on risk in pregnancy. It’s not been updated in a few months though, not sure how much this will vary across trusts given the end of lockdown and shielding etc.

Sorry, I do not work in the NHS. Is the updated guidance just for NHS staff, or for all women after 28 weeks?

Trusts all have different guidance - you will need to find out what yours is and have a consultation with your own Occ Health team. My trust's guidance is still that you have to be in a non-clinical environment where you can socially distance from 28 weeks. The trust up the road is allowing women to continue to work clinically post 28 weeks so long as they are low risk, working in a low risk environment (ie not a Covid ward) and community numbers are below a certain level.

The guidance is...

If you cannot socially distance, be redeployed to a role you can socially distance or be able to work from home you can be signed off from 28 weeks on full pay.

My friend is a carer (private) and her midwife was very clear that from 28 weeks she should not be in the workplace. There was no work she could do from home so she was signed off on full pay until her mat leave started. She did put on some annual leave as week which reduced the period a little.

Even with the vaccines now in place the guidance doesn't change.

I’m 24 weeks, staff nurse on respiratory/Covid ward. During previous waves of Covid, pregnant staff were removed immediately

I still remain on my ward but I do avoid the higher risk areas such as those with aerosol generated procedures.

Spoke to OH and basically been told that it’s down to my manager to risk assess me and that they don’t shield pregnant staff at 28 weeks anymore now that lockdown is ended

As much as I don’t want to leave my ward, I also feel that I’m not really getting the same treatment as people in other areas of the hospital which is what’s annoying me, but I don’t seem to be getting anywhere.

I have annual leave at 32 weeks prior to my maternity leave so I’m just trying to plod along until then and protect myself and bubs as much as I can

I'm a nanny so not NHS but I've been suspended on full pay from 28 weeks. I can't social distance from the children and I can't work from home so that's the only option

Not NHS staff but care worker, currently 29 weeks and am still client facing, I've been told they are happy for me to work until i go on maternity since the numbers were lower

I'm an NHS nurse working on a ward. Was kept away from any suspected Covid patients as soon as I found out I was pregnant and then I was sent off on medical suspension at 28 weeks. Our trust policy was that if we couldn't be given a role where we could socially distance we should be sent off on full pay, but I guess this will differ from trust to trust and might change now that things are opening up again